Realgar as a building block for lanthanide clusters: encapsulation of a copper cluster by a lanthanide cluster

The reactions of the divalent lanthanide metallocenes [Cp*2Ln(thf)2] (Cp* = η(5)-C5Me5; Ln = Sm, Yb) with realgar (As4S4) gave the open cage tetrametallic complex [(Cp*2Sm)(Cp*Sm)3AsS3(Cp*AsS2)2(thf)3] (1) or the trimetallic cage compound [(Cp*Yb)3As2S4(Cp*AsS2)(thf)2] (2), respectively, by reductive cleavage of the inorganic cage. As result of a Cp* transfer, the novel Cp*AsS2(2-) anion is formed. Moreover, the As2S4(4-) anion, which is bound in 2, is observed for the first time in coordination chemistry. Closed cage compounds are formed by either using bulkier ligands or a different As/S cage. The reaction of [Cp‴2Sm] (Cp‴ = (1,2,4-(t-Bu)3C5H2)) with As4S4 and the reaction of [Cp*2Yb(thf)2] with dimorphite (As4S3) gave the closed 11-vertex cage clusters [(Cp‴Sm)3(AsS3)2] (3) and [(Cp*Yb)3(AsS3)2] (4), respectively. The reaction of 3 with [CuMes] resulted in the formation of the Sm/S/Cu cluster [(Cp‴Sm(thf))4Cu4S6] (5), in which the Sm atoms encapsulate a classical Cu4S6(8-) cluster core. This is the first transition metal chalcogenide cluster encapsulated by f-elements. Alternatively, the endohedral cluster can thus be described as [Cu4@{(Cp‴Sm(thf))4S6}], in which a Cu4 tetrahedron is encapsulated by the samarium sulfido cluster {(Cp‴Sm(thf))4S6}.